If you're new here, welcome! We are a colourful community of believers with large vision and big dreams, who love Jesus and love our world. What Jesus did and established at the Cross is very good news. In fact it’s scandalous it is so good! He has forgiven our sins, declared man innocent and cancelled any concept of distance between God and man. It is this message of glad tidings we feel compelled to preach because His unfathomable love has captivated us. Read more >>

New Year 2018

cpadmin
| 13 January 2018

It's a fresh, new year, waiting to unfold in expectation. 2018 is absolutely BRAND NEW! I love how the newness of fresh beginnings brings such hope and expectancy with it. 2018 is heaving with potential and energy and excitement, and as a church community, we can not wait to run with the wild horses!

Unbelievably, we have reached the end of another year in our community. As I ponder this, I realise that for many, this has not been the easiest of years. Yet as I prayed about what Papa wanted me to write, He gave me what seemed like a bird’s eye view of what the year has looked like, from a completely different perspective. I saw the many different paths each of us has taken in our day to day lives, as millions of colourful roads, crossing the canvas of our community; but as I watched, I was captivated by one beautiful and unexpected element…what seemed like golden glitter was being sprinkled across the canvas, following each of our paths as they unfolded. I asked Papa about this, and I became aware that the glitter that was criss-crossing the canvas was Papa’s beautiful Presence over each of us, and over every twist and turn in our paths throughout 2017. I became beautifully aware, Beloveds, that He’s been there…He’s been there…He’s been there! Papa has been there through it all, faithful and true, and He has not let us go, even for a second. He has faithfully seen us through, taking us by the hand and leading, or nudging us from behind, or walking by our side, and sometimes picking us up and carrying us, when our strength has failed…He has always been there, giving us all we need, because that’s who he is…our faithful Father!

The Lord laid so clearly on my heart, the words of the Bethel song: “Hold on to your heart as your triumph unfolds…He’s in the waiting…” I believe we are on the brink, in our church and in our country, of powerful shifts, but that Papa is calling us to hold on to our hearts. God is shifting, changing, preparing, positioning. There is a sense of expectancy and anticipation, but I feel the Father tugging at my heart, sitting me down and telling me that He has much for us in the secret place with Him…so sit down…quiet your heart…breathe…He has deep, deep wells of refreshing, healing, feeding, preparing and equipping for us…We hold onto our hearts by drinking deeply from His wells until we swell with all He has imparted to us and burst, allowing His goodness to pour onto the community around us. The waiting and the drinking from His wells are central to everything, for us and our journeys-that our lives might be wells of refreshing, encouragement and comfort to those around us.

As I write this, your faces and your stories float through my mind, and I am inspired to drink deeply, so that I might burst with God’s goodness onto you. Join with me in the drinking, that we might enjoy the abundance He has for us along the way, and overflow onto each other. This is the beautiful journey the Father has for us- it’s rich, it’s good, it’s enough…and it will place each of us exactly where we need to be, now and for the year ahead.

This morning (24 September) when I got out of my car at church, I saw some of my prophetic art materials in the boot and thought of taking some along to sit and dawdle with whilst busy on overheads. I rejected the thought, but was mindful of a conversation I had had with Gill Persson in terms of the mornings I am on overheads duty. She told me that that is my worship on those days…

I decided to pay attention to the task at hand. The overheads duty can be consuming, there are a number of things to keep in mind and manage while on task, such as changing the slides for the words to the songs in time, checking the sound recording, and keeping a tab on whether the PC is charging or not.

Afterwards, June Schwikkard and a friend of hers came to me and told me how meaningful the particular songs of this morning were to them and asked me about where they could possibly find the lyrics to the songs.

What a powerful worship session it was! Jonathan Wordon was leading worship, with Anabella Sowter adding her amazing voice and Sarah Allen on the keyboard and vocals. Hans Roosenboom and Lorens Persson were manning the sound desk. These men’s ears are so attuned to sound and to feedback from the microphones and speakers that they take action before anyone else even notices anything amiss.

Behind the scenes, Benji Pienaar organises a team of us on overheads duty; there is quite a bit of coordinating involved and he is an excellent steward of this task.

Lorens and Gill Persson head up our worship ministry with incredible teams under them. Worship, sound and overheads! You are a great team to be part of and guys, you are all awesome.

Jesus has made a waySo in God's presence we can stay.His death on the crossIs a victory not a loss.

His broken body is the foundation Of the Church and its salvation. His blood washes away our sin and grimeLeaving us redeemed for all time.

Jesus is the mirror that reflects the Father's glory, His love interwoven in everyone's story.As we look upon His wondrous faceHe points to the Father full of mercy and grace.

God's presence is not found within a boxIt cannot be contained by chains or locks.He is not found in a building or a steeple But rather He lives within the hearts of His people.

The Holy Spirit is like a beautiful skylight in the ceiling Drawing our gaze to the Father's throne room that is so appealing. Gently He leads us in the Father's wayHelping and guiding us in all we do and say.

We are His body, His temple, one and all We fit together like bricks in a wall.The cement that holds us all in placeIs the love of Jesus found in each other's embrace.

Our strength is not found in standing aloneBut connecting with others with hearts of love not stone.As we reach into each other's lives with openness We allow God's healing to remove our brokenness.

This living temple is vibrant, colourful and aliveThrough God's power within us we are learning to thrive, In a world that is hurting and lonely and blueA world that is waiting for a loving touch from you.

God, where are you? This question has often rung through my mind as loud as the gong of a steeple bell. Loneliness and abandonment threaten to close in on me and the lie that God is distant becomes a lot more real than it should.

That’s the thing about faith. It requires you to believe with every fibre of your being in someone you can’t see with your physical eyes yet this very person is closer than any other living thing. But our flesh and our mind cry out for reason and logic. After all, that’s how society today works. Logic and reason are prized over imagination and abstract or even emotional language. Faith is not logical.

So, I’ll find myself in some place or other desperately trying to look all prim and proper when on the inside I’m crying out for God to be more than abstract. I want Him to be tangible and real. What I really want is for Him to fill that void in my heart so I can escape the pain that comes with my circumstances and dashed ideals.

Maybe that’s what causes you and me to feel God is a million miles away. He didn’t show up the way we expected nor did He do what we hoped He would do. We find ourselves facing something we didn’t see coming and instead of landing with our bums in the butter we feel given the raw end of the stick.

In frustration, we cry “God where are you? Do you even care? Do you notice me?” Oh, how patient is God with us! With the warmth that comes from His presence and the gentle kiss of love while His breath of life teases the tendrils of your heart, He says gently:

“My darling, my beautiful one. I have never left you. I cannot leave you. My breath is the breath of life filling your lungs. My blood courses through your veins and I’ve programmed your DNA to match mine. Oh my darling, I am not far. I have never been nor will I ever be.

You are in me and I am in you. In those moments of despair and heartache, I take you deeper into my heart where you are engulfed with my love. I pour my presence over you so you let off a sweet fragrance into the spiritual realm marking you as mine. I’ve sealed you as my own. I’ve grafted you into me so that I can be the source of your substance and every need.

This is the moment when the lie that God is far or an abandoning father disintegrates into a puff of smoke. He is the perfect father, husband, friend, brother. So, with a heart opening wider still, He comes in with a deeper presence into this frightening place of loneliness. He lifts the veil that has fallen over our eyes and suddenly we see…Him.

We think God runs away from our hardships. Quite the opposite. We run from our hardships. The pain and disappointment are often overwhelming and our natural tendency is to withdraw. But, God. I love those words. Oh, how our Papa God uses every situation and opportunity in life to draw us much closer. He uses these moments to reveal more of His love to you and me, more of His heart, and more of His abounding grace.

His presence is always accessible. All we need do is choose to enter in. Bring your stuff to him. Bring it all and watch Him take it and transform it into something beautiful and redeemed. He is the one who helps you move on and on from glory to glory.

In that moment of feeling “God, you are a million miles away”, God is saying to you and to me “Come away with me my love...I have a glorious and wonderful plan for you.”